Having put their club sessions on hold during the suspension of triathlon activity earlier this year, Corby Tri Club are enjoying swim, bike, run as much as ever before since returning to training.
Since returning to in-person training, club chair, Andy Medcalfe, and the other coaches at the club have had to adapt to make sure that their sessions are safe and Covid-19 Secure, with themselves and their members seeing real benefits from this.
“With our sessions taking place in smaller groups, it’s meant that we’re doing more direct coaching to individuals and able to help them develop their skills and technique,” he commented.
“We’ve noticed that there is a need to go back to more simple drills and focus on technique and building fitness. Having the small groups, although it means the kids aren’t training every week in all three disciplines, is having a huge benefit on the coaches and athletes because seeing the development of individuals is so rewarding to coaches and the athletes are getting more tailored coaching.”
A local lockdown meant that, three weeks after resuming, the club put their activities back on hold for a month.
“The local lockdown was demoralising,” Medcalfe added. “If it wasn’t for the support and encouragement of the parents at the club, it would have been really challenging to get through this year.
“They’ve continued to support the club financially by paying the membership fees which has been fantastic for our sustainability, but also been so accommodating of everything we’ve been doing to ensure that our sessions are safe and accepting the reduced amount of time that their child is getting at the club.”
In addition to the training benefit, Medcalfe and the club have engaged with other local clubs to get in touch and share ideas. Something he says is a positive step and something to carry on for the future.
“Linking in with other clubs has been something really positive about this situation,” he said. “I don’t think it would have come about were it not for Covid-19 because, as clubs, we’re generally pretty insular and keep doing our own thing.
“Being able to link in with other local clubs has given us confidence in what we’re doing and, hopefully, moving forwards we’ll be able to practically join up with them for sessions and competitions when we’re allowed to.
“We’ve also been in more regular contact with our venues and venue providers because of the need to share information and documentation. Whilst the need to be in touch with them has been forced upon us, having better relationships across the area has been such a benefit.”
The club are set to continue to train through the winter with athletes able to run every other week and have a swim session one in every three weeks in their small groups.
